Special Geocaching Request

I received this special request at the webmaster address.

I am not able to geocache myself as I take care of a handicapped relative. I would like to correspond with someone who does geocaching in Arkansas (Mena area preferably) as I have a nice idea as to where a cache should be, and am willing to contribute something to put in it.

Please feel free to foreward or post this email to anyone you think might be interested.

My idea for a cache is the vicinity of the Huddleston Store in Pine Ridge
Arkansas, 71966. Pine Ridge is one of only two places I know of that changed their names because of a radio show, the other being Truth or Consequences NM. The radio show "Lum and Abner" was inspired by the goings-on at the Huddleston store, which in the show was referred to instead as the "Jot 'em Down Store". If someone wants to plant a cache near there, I will send them 5 identical discs containing the very earliest surviving episodes of the show. If I enclosed them all, you see, the whole set would evaporate very quickly... but 5 identical discs? More likely someone will copy and replace what they've taken.

What do I get out of it? A little vicarious fun, a chance to possibly turn
some folks on to the wonders of old time radio... and maybe whoever does the cache will take some pictures of it from all around it for me.... and maybe even inside... the ones on the Net are invariably of the front, and pics of it are not rare on the Net. Since I will never in a million years get to see it with my own eyes, this may be the only chance I'll ever have to see it.

Dwayne Horton
Wilmore KY 40390

If you want to contact the sender, the reply address on the e-mail was:Donna Daniels [email protected]

I have replied directly to the sender and volunteered to place a cache there. I remember the Lum and Abner radio show live from back in the 40s and 50s and have purchased tapes of the show from Radio Spirits. It amazes me how Chester Lauk and Norris Goff could do the show live without a prepared script. From what I can put together from different sources, it seems they had a prepared script for only the last minute or two of the show. They would ad lib most of the 15 minute show and at the proper time go into the prepared script which was designed to leave you in suspense until the next show.

The Lum and Abner show is what inspired me to name my two dogs Lum and Abner, and the name of one of my caches "Say Hello to Lum & Abner."

It is probably a two hour drive for me to Pine Ridge and Mr. Horton may choose someone closer. I'm sure there will be other volunteers. However, if I am chosen I will keep you posted.

Ya, that's a little before my time as well. Whats nice about Geocaching tho is that there is a wide range of ages and interests. There's probably a whole subset of the geocaching public that are huge Lum and Abner fans. This will probably turn out to be the best Lum and Abner cache ever!

I don't remember the live broadcast, but when I was a kid, one of the few radio stations that we could receive, played reruns of the shows. I thought that they were really funny. They usually left you hanging at the end and I couldn't wait for the next episode. Recently, while caching in the Mt. Home area one Saturday, as I scanned my radio, a station in that part of the country was running the program. Perhaps the cachecrazies have listened in to these broadcasts. I think that this would be an excellent spot for a cache and hope that it can be implemented. This is one that I would love to go hunt.

Lum & Abner

It's good to hear the comments of those who remember the live broadcasts and the reruns. These two guys were really masterful at what they did.

I'm sitting here at my son's computer in Rogers and unable to read my email. My son is having back surgery in the morning and it will be late tomorrow before I get home to check my email. I'll keep everyone posted on new developments.

For all the curious who want to know more about Lum and Abner check out this web site:

Yeah, I offered my services also. Since I am only about an hour and a half or so from Mena, and I have a friend who's parents actually live down the road from the Jot'em Down Store. I had no idea Pine Ridge, Arkansas was so famous till my buddy was telling me all about it. If you are ever down that way you need to go on over to Cherry Hill and grab a hamburger, it is one of the better burgers I have had and at a decent price. The fries are great to, anyway I was in Mena today, ,and will be down there probably most of next week working. So I would be more than happy to drop off a cache while I was there, it would give me a nice BREAK from the job.

Not sure if its a done deal or not, I still need to get some information from this person. I was kinda under the impression that permission had already been given and everything, so I need to firm up a few things.